Senate defense bill includes billions for ME
A U.S. Senate committee Friday approved a defense appropriation bill that includes more than $12 billion that would boost Maine businesses.
The fiscal year 2011 defense authorization bill passed by the Senate Armed Services and Appropriations Committee includes $3 billion to purchase two DDG-51 destroyers next year, one of which will be built at Bath Iron Works, as well as $577 million for another DDG-51 destroyer in two years and $186 million for the DDG-1000 program at BIW, according to a press release from Sen. Susan Collins, a member of the committee. It also includes $17.2 million for renovations at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, $6 million for guns made at General Dynamics' Saco Defense facility and another $325 million for Navy fighter jets, whose gun systems are made at Saco Defense. Another $9.1 billion allocation for fighter jets would help Pratt & Whitney in North Berwick, which makes the engines.
The bill also includes millions for a variety of other companies and organizations in Maine working on defense-related projects, including the University of Maine, Telford Group in Limestone and Hodgdon Defense Composites in Portland, according to the release.
The full Senate is expected to take up the bill after the Memorial Day recess. The House approved its version of the bill Friday.
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